Hezekiah and his engineers refortified the city walls and carved a 1, 720 foot tunnel out of solid bedrock to bring the ever-flowing waters of the Gihon spring into the inner sections of the city.The only spring in Jerusalem, the Gihon is a siphonic, karsticspring, and its name means "gushing". It is thought that the Gihon could have supported a population of 2500.,

1 Kings 1:38 2 Kings 20 2 Chronicles 29-32

The Gihon Spring was Jerusalem's main water source

from the city's earliest days.

However, the spring's location

near the bottom of the eastern slope

forced the city's builders to leave it outside

the city walls and to create a protected passageway

that led to the water source.The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam,was designed as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib.The curving tunnel is 522 meters long.According to the Siloam inscription, the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. With trail and some errors, it is thought that the teams digging were directed from above using sounds generated by hammering on the solid karst (limestone) through which they were digging.

Hezekiah's Tunnel was discovered by American explorer

Edward Robinson in 1838.

In the 1860's another explorer named Charles Warren

is credited for the discovery of a 52 foot vertical shaft

that descends to the level of the water tunnel.

You can touch the pick marks on the walls of the tunnel.

fortified walls and ceilings-notice arch and thevery large blocks.There are some wonderful explanations and diagrams at this following site to give even more info about this tunnel.Hezekiah_Tunnel

Friday, April 25, 2014

Church of St. AnneIt is a Crusader Church built in the 12th century, and located in the Muslim Quarter near the Lion's Gate. It was erected over a cave believed to be the home of Mary's parents.The structure was built between 1131 and 1138,and incorporates the rock grotto into an impressive church.It serves as a great example of Romanesque architecture.In 1192, when Saladin and the Mameluke army captured Jerusalem, they turned the church into a Muslim theological school.Later it was abandoned, fell into ruin, and the Ottomans donated it to France in 1856, when repairs were undertaken.

The acoustics in the church are world renown, as it was designed for Gregorian chants. Visitors are permitted to sing religious songs here - and we did just that.Psalm 98 is a beautiful praise to read here."Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!"

According to the writing of Eusebius (c. 260-340 AD) the Christian community of Jerusalem venerated

this area as the site of Christ's crucifixion until 66 AD.

Then the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a Temple of Venus

over the site in what some believe

was an attempt to nullify the holiness of the site.

Then in 325-26 AD Emperor Constantine I, a Christian,

ordered the destruction of the pagan temple

and charged his mother, Helena,

with the task of building a basilica on the site.

In 335 AD the Sepulcher Church was dedicated.

Then in 614 AD, the church was damaged by the invading Persians.12 years later they built a larger church on the foundation of the original church. Another 400 years later, the church had more destruction at the hands of Muslim leader- Caliph Hakim, and much of the preserved tomb of Christ was destroyed.In the 11th century the rotunda was restored. Much of the that church seen today is from the Crusader time (12-13th century),except the dome which was more recently rebuilt.

What is remarkable of this space is that it is shared by various Christian traditions. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Assyrian Orthodox Churches all assume responsibility for various parts of the church. This includes the Stone of Anointing, the Rock of the Calvary, the Prison of Christ, the chapel of the Nailing of the Cross, and the Tomb itself. Yet, none of these groups control the MAIN ENTRANCE which has been under the control of 2 Muslim families since the days of Caliph Omar in 637 and reestablished by Muslim leader Saladin in 1192.

While this site is perhaps challenging for Western Protestant Christians to find worshipful, this small cross etched in an outside stone block became a focal point. The place and the site and the pieces of the story are critical in this Holy Week remembrance.But, most of all it is the relationship with Jesus we need to be transfixed with, and not the trappings of all the religiosity of the traditionsthat may tempt to draw away our focus.

We know that Josephus of Arimathea asked Pilate's permission to remove the body of Jesus from the cross and bury it. He was helped by his colleague- Nicodemus.Pilate continued to be amazed at the power of this man Jesus, and sent a group of Temple guards to make sure that the tomb was not tampered with somehow by his fanatic followers.Matt. 27:63For the Pharisees remembered what he had said about rising again in three days, and that story of deception by his followers would be their worst nightmare.And our greatest HOPE.